I remember the moment when I first fell in love; when I really, truly knew I would rip my guts out for this person. It was an actual moment in time, a synapse firing, a weighted tick on whatever running timeline of my life there is. The fact that I reacted by pushing said man completely off his chair in the middle of a crappy Irish bar in Manhattan’s Murray Hill is a story for another time.
And I remember the first time I fell in love with Nashville: it was a series of moments really, but important all the same. Walking into a small room at Soundland, straight off the plane, to share a set by Justin Townes Earle with ten other people, perfect acoustics and still dehydrated from the flight; driving out to the Natchez Trace for the first time, the barren road spiraling out in front of me, wild turkeys crisscrossing, nothing but miles of trees and trees and trees speed and verdant hills padding my way to Tupelo; and my first trip to Imogene + Wilie’s Supper + Song, the whole place encased by strings of bulb lights and sweet music, the smells of corn tortillas and good cologne and serious denim envy.
This little backyard shindig is a moment I returned to time and again; for intimate moments with the likes of Karen Elson and the Ettes and Courtney Jaye and Odessa and Rayland Baxter, the sticky summer air, fresh peaches by the bag, beautiful music and beautiful people. I shared a mat and a bottle of wine with my sister, in from New York; I criss-crossed the floor with Heidi Jewell while she snapped perfect photos for Under the Guise, I envisioned one day returning with a future child or friends or parents. I didn’t imagine the potential that this whole thing might one day cease to exist, shut down by the city in 2012. Devastation might be a little dramatic, but that’s nearly what I felt. This was supposed to be an essential part of my permanent love affair with Nashville.
Tonight, according to Imogene + Willie, “council members have and are currently working diligently to create a bill [about outdoor small music events] that works for everyone and a permitting system that makes sense for the community. Tonight, there is an open forum at the metro council public hearing to address the proposed ordinance. We are not writing to you to beg for support. we are writing to you in hopes that you will come to the meeting with us and speak however you see fit, as well as ask questions for which you want answers.”
What this means is potential new life for Supper + Song. If you’re interested in attending the meeting, details and the original bill are here.
Lockeland Springsteen 